Han Dongdao inspects citrus seedlings in his citrus-themed exposition garden in Xiangshan county, Ningbo. [Photo/cnnb.com.cn] 

Han Dongdao, a 45-year-old man born to a family of farmers, has decided to blaze new trails on his first day doing farm work. 

In 2015, Han arrived in Xiaowantang village, Dingtang Town, Xiangshan county and rented 55 mu (3.67 hectares) of wasteland with the hopes of using it to develop modern agriculture. 

Dingtang is known for producing citrus. However, rather than focusing on growing citrus, Han decided to open the city's first citrus-themed exposition garden, which cost over 10 million yuan ($1.45 million) to develop, in 2017.

With the help of the local agriculture department, he managed to collect a variety of citrus fruits from overseas. His garden is now home to around 200 citrus varieties.

"Most of these varieties don't exist in the domestic market," he said with pride, staring at the citrus trees in his garden. But the new varieties are not only for display, as Han has identified some that that can be grown locally.

"We must constantly develop new varieties if we want to maintain our lead," he said.

Han registered a citrus brand and has tried promoting it on live streaming platforms. In 2019, he sold over 10 million yuan worth of citrus and seedlings from his garden. 

Han's success has also helped increase incomes for local villagers. 

Last year, Han bought 100,000 kilograms of citrus from 60 households in Dingtang at a price of two to four yuan per kilogram higher than the market price. 

Zheng Yuling, a farmer from Hulumen village, earned more than 100,000 yuan by selling 2,500 kilograms of Red Beauty, a renowned local variety of citrus, to Han.